Top tips for cutting business energy bills in autumn/winter

2015 brought yet another disappointing summer in the UK, but the chances are you didn’t have to turn the lights and heating on too regularly.

Well that’s all about to change as the winds pick up and the leaves begin to fall.

Autumn is here and it won’t be long before you have to think about winter and the excruciating business energy bills that come with it.

The unit price for gas and electricity has fallen this year. It could have fallen even further if you joined the Business Gas.com collective switching group before the October deadline.

If you weren’t quick enough to join the gas buying group then you’ll have to go about cutting your gas bills the hard way – by reducing consumption.

Here are our top tips for slashing business energy bills by curbing usage.

Create an eco-friendly office environment

Making environmentally friendly choices when it comes to kitting out your office is a great way of curbing consumption and minimising your businesses’ carbon footprint.

Changes could be as big as replacing the office fridge with a more environmentally friendly alternative or as small as fitting draught-proof strips underneath doors. When you come to make these changes always think about the payback time.

Payback Time (years) = Initial Investment (£) / Annual Savings (£)

Working out payback time helps you make informed decisions about whether a particular change is worth the initial investment. If draught-proof doors will be paid back in one year then they are definitely worth having whereas if a fridge takes 20 years to pay back you might have to think more carefully.

Start using your smart meter properly

Smart meters are already fairly common in medium sized and large business premises. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you are making the most of your meter.

Simply watching data in real time, or half-heartedly analysing smart meter information won’t do much to change your consumption patterns in the long run.

You should collect and process all the raw consumption data you can, turning it into actionable information. Try comparing consumption data to local temperature data and see if you can learn anything about how office air conditioning usage in your office responds to the weather.

It might be worth getting an expert to do this for you.

Switch off

It might sound simple but switching off office equipment at night is absolutely crucial to reducing your consumption and energy bills.

The Carbon Trust says that a standard photocopier left on standby overnight wastes enough energy to make 30 cups of tea. Before you go home at night go around and check all screens and other unnecessary electronics are cut out.

If you keep regular opening hours it might be worth thinking about creating a separate circuit breaker for non-essential equipment which automatically turns off after 6 PM.

Consult an energy switching expert

The market for energy is highly competitive and large sections of it are still shrouded in secrecy. In these conditions it pays to have someone who understands the market on your side.

Business Gas.com is full of energy market experts and we’re constantly using our expertise to leverage suppliers and get the best deals for our customers. Get in touch to find out more. Call: 0800 157 7175